Jemima

Hebrew

"dove; daytime"

Jemima Origin and Meaning

The name Jemima is a girl's name of Hebrew origin meaning "dove; daytime".

Jemima, the name of a strong and beautiful Biblical daughter of Job, has long been among the chicest choices of aristocratic Brits, and has since shifted to be used more generally too, replacing Gemma/Jemma as a way to nickname "Jem". In a recent year, it featured in the England and Wales Top 500.

Brought into common English usage by the Puritans, alongside her Biblical sister, Keziah, Jemima is often interpreted as meaning "dove", likely from yona. However, it may be more accurate to say it relates to yomam meaning "daytime" or "day-by-day", which are equally bright and lovely.

Some famous (and notably British) namesakes are Beatrix Potter's Jemima Puddle-Duck and characters in Chitty, Chitty, Bang Bang, Cats, Thackeray's Vanity Fair, and Elizabeth Gaskell's Ruth.

Jemima was well used by the Puritans, as was that of her sister, Keziah. Some other famous namesakes A real-life bearer is Jemima Kirke, who plays Jessa on Girls(and who happens to have a sister named Domino and a son named Memphis). Jemimah is a variant spelling, as seen in the Antonia Fraser crime series Jemimah Shore Investigates.

In the US, however, Jemima is not so well used. Despite its appealing sound and Biblical nature, it is often dismissed due to the problematic association with racial stereotyping, exemplified by the Aunt Jemima brand of pancakes. In a recent year, 54 girls were named Jemima, while Dove was given to nearly 130, and Jemma to 370.

Jemima Rank in US Top 1000

# 846 in the US

Jemima Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 506 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Jemima

• 506 Nameberry 2025
• 462 England 2024

20 Names Similar to Jemima

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Jemima.

• Ethel
• Frida
• Maud
• Gertrude
• Edna
• Augustine
• Dinah
• Mildred
• Bernadette
• Prudence
• Marguerite
• Marjorie
• Millicent
• Magdalene
• Blanche
• Thelma
• Hilda
• Edwina
• Rosamund
• Doris

Famous People Named Jemima

• Jemima daughter of Job
• Jemima Boone daughter of Daniel Boone
• Jemima Kirke English,born American actress
• Jemima Khan English writer
• Jemima Nicholas led the women of Pembrokeshire in the "last invasion of Britain"
• Jemima Rooper English actress
• Jemima Wilkinson American evangelist
• Jemima West French actress
• Jemima Ullyet (b. 2005) daughter of tennis player Kevin Ullyet
• Jemima Bercow (b. 2008) daughter of British politicians John and Sally Bercow

The name Jemima in Pop Culture

• Jemima character in "Cats"
• Jemima character on "Play School"
• Lady Jemima character in "My Aunt Margaret's Mirror" by Sir Walter Scott
• Jemima Jones character in "Jemima J" by Jane Green
• Jemima Kicksey character in "The Amours of Mr Deuceace" by William Makepeace Thackeray
• Jemima Potts character in "Chitty,Chitty,Bang,Bang"
• Jemima Puddleduck character in eponymous book by Beatrix Potter
• Jemima Stanbury character in "He Knew He Was Right" by Anthony Trollope
• Jemima "Jem" Walker character on "In The Flesh"
• Jemima "Jed" Marshall character in "The Night Manager" by John le Carré
• Aunt Jemima advertising figure used for a U.S. brand of pancake mix and syrup